Curve of Convenience 2020 Report: The Privacy-Convenience Paradox

INTRODUCTION

As Asia Pacific edges towards becoming a digital-first economy, organizations across the region are realizing that applications are fast becoming their most business valuable asset. Yet, at a time when both the private and public sectors are redefining what a good user experience means in today’s world, consumer trust continues to wane as cyberattacks and data breaches rattle the world.

2020’s sharp pivot pushed the door wide open for many “new’s”: new ways of working, new ways of consumption, new ways of spending time with loved ones – most of it done online. As governments around the world rolled out varying stages of lockdown, time spent on applications jumped by 20 percent in this year’s first quarter alone. The world abruptly developed a dependency on application-based services to maintain some sort of normalcy, even as it transitioned into an unpredictable “new normal”.

In this climate, one of F5’s objectives is to help organizations secure users’ privacy while delivering a product that will ultimately delight and entice consumers. With so much going on in the world, organizations need reliable information so they can craft their own approach to the delicate balance between convenience and security. The Curve of Convenience study, created in collaboration with Kantar, examines a spectrum of consumer attitudes and behaviors across privacy and convenience. We also delve into the medium- to long-term implications of what this consumer behavior means for organizations given current global events and provide recommendations for a more secure Code to Customer journey.

METHODOLOGY

This study was conducted between 25 March to 13 April 2020* as an online survey, with 4,107 respondents from eight markets: Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan. Across age groups and gender, the participants used either a tablet or smartphone in the four weeks leading up to the survey.